User:Walker4

Green Light South Carolina is part of a non-profit environmental organization based in Anderson County, South Carolina and is under the umbrella of Green Light New Orleans, that works to reduce rising energy bills and the carbon emissions in the upstate region of South Carolina including Clemson, Greenville, Anderson and Seneca through the installation of compact fluorescent lights. The long term goal of the program is to replace all of the approximately 1 million lights in the Upstate South Carolina region within 4 years. The organization helps low and middle income individuals and households, and the service and bulbs are provided for free.

History
Green Light South Carolina was initiated in late 2008 by Cassie Troyer and Terry Walker and has its origins from Green Light New Orleans initiated in early 2006 after Hurricane Katrina devastated the city the year before. The city of New Orleans is at high risk of detestation by the effects of global warming due to its low elevation and proximity to the Gulf of Mexico. . Local musician Andi Hoffmann and his band B-Goes founded the organization in the fall of 2006 as a response to the devastation left by Hurricane Katrina and the failure of the levees. The band began by calculating the carbon output created as a result of its European concert tours and figured out how many CFLs had to be installed to offset that output. With each concert ticket sold at shows in Europe, attendees were asked to donate to Green Light New Orleans. The response was overwhelmingly positive and soon after returning to New Orleans the organization was established.

Goal
South Carolina faces serious consequences of global warming through increased drought as well as increases in energy cost. Wasteful energy consumption is perhaps the largest contributor to global warming. The main goal of the organization is to switch the entire region from incandescent light bulbs to compact fluorescent light bulbs. What makes this program unique is that the bulbs are not just given to the homeowner or renters, but volunteers visit each home and put the bulbs directly in the fixtures ensuring that they are put to immediate use and the saving of electricity and reduction of carbon are immediately realized. The program is supported through private donations, sponsors and corporate grants. In its short time of existence as of August 2009 Green Light South Carolina has installed nearly 1,500 CFLs saving the region nearly $55,000, 555,000 lbs of carbon dioxide from being emitted into the atmosphere over the life of the bulbs (about 10,000 hours). Green Light New Orleans had installed over 190,000 CFLs since August 2009 and has a goal of installing 300,000 CFL bulbs by the end of 2009. Within 4 years Green Light South Carolina anticipates replacing approximately 1 million incandescent bulbs in South Carolina residential homes to CFLs preventing nearly 550,000,000 lbs of carbon entering the atmosphere while saving the community over $55,000,000 at current residential prices for energy.